The battle of Awazugahara, from The Tale of the Heike

One of Japan’s rare female warriors takes center stage in this scene from The Tale of the Heike, an epic account of the struggle between two clans for control of the country during the twelfth century. Tomoe Gozen appears briefly in the tale, which mentions her beauty as well as her skills at archery, sword fighting, and horseback riding. To protect her lord, she rode into battle, wrested her enemy from his horse, pulled him down against the pommel of her saddle, held him motionless, twisted off his head, and threw it away. In this superb example from the warrior-painting genre, the lively figures of the warriors are set against a shimmering gold background. The simplicity of this background helps focus the viewer’s attention on the actions of the main figures.